Ezekiel 23

The whoredoms of Aholah and Aholibah.

Ezekiel 23:1 The worde of the Lord came vnto me sayeng: Ezekiel 23:2 Thou sonne of man, there were two wemen, þt had one mother. Ezekiel 23:3 These (when they were yonge) beganne to playe þe harlottes in Egypt. There were theyr brestes brosed, & þe pappes of theyr maydenhead did þe Egyptians destroye. Ezekiel 23:4 The eldest of them was called Oholah & her yongest syster Oholibah. These two were my wyues, & bare sonnes & daughters. Theyr names were Samaria, & þt was Oholah: & Ierusalem, þt was Oholibah. Ezekiel 23:5 As for Oholah she beganne to go a whoring, when I had taken her to me. She was sett on fyre vpon her louers þe Assirians Ezekiel 23:6 as her neybours which had to do wt her: euen þe princes & Lordes þt were deckte in costly araye fayre yonge men, lusty ryders of horses. Ezekiel 23:7 Thus thorow her whordome, she cleued vnto all the yonge men of Assiria. Yee, she was madd vpon them, & defyled her selfe wt all theyr Idols. Ezekiel 23:8 Nether ceassed she from þe fornicacyon, þt she vsed wt the Egypcians: for in her youth they laye wt her, they brosed the brestes of her maydenhead, & poured theyr whordome vpon her. Ezekiel 23:9 Wherfore, I delyuered her into the handes of her louers, euen the Assirians, whom she so loued. Ezekiel 23:10 These discouered her shame, toke her sonnes & daughters, & slewe her wt þe sweard: An euel name gat she of all people, and they punished her. Ezekiel 23:11 Her sister Oholibah sawe this, and destroyed her selfe wt inordynate loue, more then she, & exceded her syster in whordome Ezekiel 23:12 she loued þe Assirians (which also laye wt her) namely, þe princes & greate lordes, þt were clothed wt al maner of gorgious apparell all lusty horsmen & fayre yonge personnes. Ezekiel 23:13 Then I sawe, that they both were defyled a lyke. Ezekiel 23:14 But she increased styll in whordome, for when she sawe men paynted vpon the wall, þe ymages of the Caldees sett forth wt fressh couloures, Ezekiel 23:15 wt fayre gyrdles about them & goodly bonettes vpon theyr heades, lokynge all lyke prynces (after the maner of the Babylonyans and Chaldees in theyr awne lande where they be borne) Ezekiel 23:16 immediatly, as soone as she sawe them, she brent in loue vpon them, and sente messaungers for them into the lande of the Chaldees. Ezekiel 23:17 Now when the Babylonyans came to her, they laye with her and defyled her with theyr whordome, and so was she polluted with them. And when her lust was abated from them, Ezekiel 23:18 her whordome and shame was discouered and sene: then my herte forsoke her, lyke as my herte was gone from her syster also. Ezekiel 23:19 Neuerthelesse, she vsed her whordome euer the longer the more, and remembred the dayes of her youth, wherin she had played the harlot in the lande of Egypt: Ezekiel 23:20 she brent in lust vpon them, whose fleshe was lyke the flesh of Asses, and theyr sede lyke the sede of horses. Ezekiel 23:21 Thus thou hast renued þe fylthynesse of the youth, when thy louers brosed thy pappes, and marred thy brestes in Egypte.

Aholibah is to be plagued by her lovers.

Ezekiel 23:22 Therfore (O Oholibah) thus sayeth the Lord God: I will rayse vp thy louers (wt whom thou hast satysfyed thy lust) against the, and gather them together rounde about the: Ezekiel 23:23 namely the Babylonians, and all the Chaldees, rulers, mightye men & tyrauntes, wt all the Assirians: all yonge & fayre louers: princes and Lordes, knyghtes and gentelmen, which be all good horsmen. Ezekiel 23:24 These shall come vpon the with horses, charrettes, and a greate multitude of people: which shalbe harnessed aboute the on euery syde, wt brestplates, shyldes & helmettes. I wyll punish the before them, yee, they them selues shall punysh the, accordynge to theyr awne iudgement. Ezekiel 23:25 I will put my gelousy vpon the, so that they shal deale cruelly with the. They shall cut of thy nose and thyne eares, and the remnaunt shall fall thorow the swearde. They shall cary awaye thy sonnes and daughters, and the resydue shalbe brent in the fyre. Ezekiel 23:26 They shall strype the out of thy clothes, and cary thy costly Iewels awaye with them. Ezekiel 23:27 Thus wyll I make an ende of thy fylthynesse and whordome, which thou hast brought oute of the lande of Egypte: so that thou shalt turne thyne eyes nomore after them, and cast thy mynde nomore vpon Egypte. Ezekiel 23:28 For thus sayeth þe Lorde beholde I will delyuer the into the handes of them, whom thou hatest, yee, euen into the handes of them, with whom thou hast fulfylled thy lust, Ezekiel 23:29 whych shall deale cruelly wyth the. All thy laboure shall they take with them, and leaue the naked and bare, and thus the shame of thy fylthye whordome shall come to lyght. Ezekiel 23:30 All these thynges shall happen vnto the, because of thy whordome which thou hast vsed amonge the Gentyls wyth whose Idols thou hast defyled thy self. Ezekiel 23:31 Thou hast walcked in the waye of thy syster, therfore wyll I geue þe her cuppe in thy hande. Ezekiel 23:32 Thus sayeth the Lord God: Thou shalt dryncke of thy systers cuppe, how depe and farre so euer it be to þe botome. Thou shalt be laughed to scorne, and had as greatly in derisyon, as is possible. Ezekiel 23:33 Thou shalt be full of dronkennes and sorowe, for the cuppe of thy syster Samaria is a cuppe of destruccion and wastynge: Ezekiel 23:34 the same shalt thou dryncke, and suppe it out euen to the dregges, yee, thou shalt eat vp the broken peces of it, & so teare thyne awne brestes: For euen I haue spoken it sayeth the Lorde God. Ezekiel 23:35 Therfore, thus sayeth þe Lorde God: For so moch as thou hast forgotten me, and cast me aside behinde the, so beare now thyne awne fylthines and whordome.

The prophet reproveth the adulteries of them both,

Ezekiel 23:36 The Lorde sayde moreouer vnto me: Thou sonne of man wilt þu not reproue Oholah and Oholibah? Shewe them theyr abhominacions: Ezekiel 23:37 namely that they haue broken theyr wedlocke, & stayned theyr handes wt bloude: yee, euen wt theyr ydoles haue they commytted aduoutry and offred them by the fyre theyr awne children (to be deuoured) whom they had borne vnto me. Ezekiel 23:38 Yee, & thys haue they done vnto me also: they haue defyled my Sanctuary in that same daye, & haue vnhalowed my Sabboth. Ezekiel 23:39 For when they had slayne theyr children for theyr Idols, they came the same daye into my Sanctuary to defyle it. Lo, thys haue they done in my house: Ezekiel 23:40 Besyde all thys, thou hast sent they messaungers for men out of farre countrees: & when they came, thou hast bathed & painted thyne eyes wt colours, trymmed & set forth thy self of þe best fassion: Ezekiel 23:41 thou sattest vpon a goodly bed and a table spred before the: wherupon thou hast set myne incense and myne oyle. Ezekiel 23:42 Then was there great chere with her to optayne peace, and though with those men many men came, yet were ther also brought, men of Sabba from the wildernesse: which gaue them bracelettes vpon theyr handes, & sett glorious crownes vpon theyr heades: Ezekiel 23:43 and I sayde vnto her: that seynge she was stryken in age in her whordommes: now shall her fornycations come to an end wt her. Ezekiel 23:44 And they wente into her as vnto a comen harlot Euen so went they, (I say) to Oholah & Oholibah those fylthy wemen.

and sheweth their judgments.

Ezekiel 23:45 O all ye þt loue vertue & ryghteousnes, iudge them, punishe them: as aduoutrers & murtherers ought to be iudged & punished. For they are breakers of wedlocke, & the bloude is in theyr handes. Ezekiel 23:46 Wherfore thus sayeth the Lorde God I wil bringe a greate multitude of people vpon them, & make them be scatred & spoyled: Ezekiel 23:47 these shall stone them, & gore them wt theyr sweardes. They shal slaye theyr sonnes & daughters, and burne vp theyr houses with fyre. Ezekiel 23:48 Thus wyll I destroye all soch fylthynes out of the land: that all wemen maye learne, not to do after your vnclennes. Ezekiel 23:49 And so they shall laye your fylthynes vpon your awne selues, and ye shalbe punyshed for the synnes that ye haue commytted with your Idols: and ye shall knowe þt I am the Lorde God.